The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-07-17

On your right, Zen Lomond lifts his head high
side in a sheer precipice Of 3 600 feet. Near by
his foot Rob Roy's prison is pointed ont Land
ing at Inversnaid, you scramble up the
eles III. ns uh;e to &c. II
sparkling cascades. Meeting tho coach half
up the ascent. you Chamber top, and divide
time in admiring the lake and mountains be-
bind. and in questioning the driver, whose mind,
h plodding at best is absorbed in handling a
fractory animal. Far up the mountain sides
long horned cattle, some of them not unlike the
buffaloes and fne-wooled sheep, are grazing,
watched sometimes by faithful dogs. We pass
thatch covered cots, with earthen floors, and
poorly clad children are playing about the door
ways Piles of peat are lying in the sun drying,
which st the end of four weeks makes good
fire and supplies the deficiency of timber and
coal The birth place of Helen McGregor, Rob
Roy's wife. is pointed out to US. To our right is
Loeb Arklet, tame little pond. We shall never
forget the first sight of Loeb Katrine. the center
the stronachlacher pier. 1 scrambled up the
mountain side for q better view The coat of
blooming heather and tho thick moses yield to
self by grasping twigs and vines above you.
Reaching cliff, fine view is spread before you.
lone FURNISHED sheet CT living gold.
Loeb Katrine lay beneath MIN rolld.
In all her length winding lay,
With promontory, creek and bay
And islands that empurpled bright,
Floated amid the live1ier light
And mountains that like giants stand,
To sentinel enchanted land"
a,
north, with rugged crest. are just as pictured by
the poet. Indeed, The Lady of the Lake" is
the best Ruide-book to this region. A hotel, a
vulgar duck padding about in the lake, the
aqueduct supplying water to the city of Glasgow,
only slightly mar its natural beauty The trees
vew birch. oak, pine-are indeed dwarf1sh, and
the soil of those mountains is not productive in
pecuniary sense. But for scenic effect, few To-
calities surpass this. Nowhere have l seen wild
flowers in such profusion among these hills
Taking boat across the lake now,
treated to variety of shifting views Ellen's
isle seems unfrequented and unspoed
when Fitz James was landed upon it. Here was
Douglass retreat Here where Allan Bane
gave his prophecies and sang to Ellen his COM
forting songs. Across to this isle came the boats
of Rhoderic Dhu his comrades singing. Hail
to the Chief" while the oarsmen marked time.
The huge rocks which lift themselves from the
water and wall the island are covered with
MOSES and vines, which take root in the riffs,
while the dense foliage Of the trees shuts out a
view of the interior
At the eastern emo of the lake deep gorge.
in which is a troubled stream, leads through the
Trossachs to Loeb Achray. On your way the
sun cannot find you, so deep is the glen and SO
thick-set are the trees about you Across tbe
gulch the place whore the gallant gray" was
lost is pointed out. Emerging from the gorge.
the whole route of the chase can be seen. To the
east. off Loeb Vennachar. Ben Voirich stands
with his head half wrapped in mist. Here the
chase started. continuing up the valley. across
Achray, to the slopes of Ben Air. Across high
ridge lie Aberfoyle and the fair valley of Mon
teith. The weather faultess during our
bracing, producing in a sense of keen enjoy
ment and appreciation. Some could write poe
try equal to Scott had they the inspiration of
these surroundings long enough From Stirling
Castle you can have brd's-eye view of the prin-
cipal mountains in this region. While
at. Edinburgh did fail to .a see
rock. on the south side of High street midway
between John Knox's residence and Edinburgh
Castle This figure was formerly the center of
a shire. Scott caused to be reproduced in his
home at Abbottsford various designs found in
the Holyrood Palace at Edin bureh. It was in
this city that he received his nigh-school train
telling than for application to books. It was
during his stay here that he acquired much of
the information entering into his novels, notably
Guy Mannerng. Within fifty PAGES Of where I
write is the tomb of the Wizard Michael Scott,
in Melrose Abbey. Readers of the Lay of the
Last Minstrel will recognize this as the place
where the horseman rode in the darkness of the
night and was led by the priest through the
gloomy walls to the tomb in which the mystic
Melrose to this day avoid the vicinity of
the tomb by night lest the wizards ghost APP
pear. / am told that Scott would sit for
hours on a pile of rocks in this grand old ruin.
looking upon this tomb; or tho spot where
Bruces heart lies buried, or in admiring the
Architecture and tracery of tho stately old col
umns. 1 unable to give any account of
much that enters into SCOTS writings. but even
from my limited observations it can be seen how
largely the poet and novelist has utilized the
materials his country furnished him. To-day
climbed to tho top of the Eilden hills, 800 feet
high, to get full view of this great mans local
ity Spread out before me in the valley of the
Tweed below a pleasing of clean.
matched cots adjoining the town; green fields,
surrounded by hetches. sloping pasture lands,
with sheep or cattle lazly browsing in them;
and far to my north was a small lake inclosed
by high hills. Far to tho east saw lone mon
umenr standing in plain, in commemoration Of
heroes of Waterloo. Woods, highways, villages,
cottages, seemed arranged as for the artist
And, most interesting of all, I could see the
estate of Walter Scott